ReAction!

Evidence of Work

For this project, we had to learn about different kinds of chemical reactions and apply them to creating movie special effects. This would have been easy to do on its own, since we just looked up different reactions, but we also had to understand and explain why everything happened.

To get this knowledge, we learned about electron configurations for each element of the periodic table. Then, we learned about how different elements would bond to each other, and what their charges have to be. This was fundamental knowledge, but we also needed more extensive chemical knowledge. We learned about the structures of different compounds, how to write chemical formulas, and naming compounds. This led us up to finally learning about different kinds of reactions such as synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, double displacement, and combustion. We then applied everything to the creation of our videos.

Pumpkinrona-19.mov

Content

  • Law of conservation of mass

    • Mass is neither created nor destroyed; the same number of each kind of atom has to be present both before and after a reaction

      • We had to make sure that our chemical reactions were balanced. (ex. 2H2O2 ---> 2H2O+O2)

      • More importantly, we had to know how chemical equations are written in the first place

  • Reaction types

    • Synthesis

      • Smaller compounds combine to form larger ones

    • Decomposition

      • One compound is broken down into smaller compounds

        • Our "elephant toothpaste" reaction was a decomposition reaction catalyzed by yeast

    • Single displacement

      • One ion changes places to form a new compound

    • Double displacement

      • Two ions exchange places to form two new compounds

    • Combustion

      • Fuel mixed with oxygen, in combination with energy creates smaller compounds and heat

        • Our burning hand sanitizer reaction was a combustion

Reflection

This project certainly had its ups and downs, but all things considered, it went pretty well. Over the course of the project, I felt compelled to demonstrate Leadership qualities. This was because we seemed to be getting nowhere without a distinct leader, so I filled the role. Very soon after, we developed a plan for our movie and began filming reactions. Another thing I did well was Collaboration. When going over ideas with Sarah, I regularly gave the other half of the group opportunities to provide input. I also provided reminders of what was needed from the group and when, in order to complete the project in time.

However, not everything was quite perfect, as we are all only human. One thing I could do better next time would be Character. As I began to get frustrated with the less productive half of my group, I did see myself start to be more rude. As opposed to asking them to do what was required, I found myself telling them to do so. Also, I was not a very Conscientious Learner in the early stages of the project. I found myself allowing Sarah to do much of the writing, and stimulating most of the brainstorming. As I mentioned earlier, however, I turned that around in the second act of the project.